Parents’ Experiences of School Support During Wartime Displacement

This qualitative study examined parents’ experiences of school support during wartime displacement following the October 7, 2023 events in Israel. Grounded in research on displacement, trauma, and school-based resilience, the study asked: (1) how parents experienced direct communication with staff at temporary receiving schools as support, and (2) how they perceived the functioning of receiving schools in responding to displacement-related challenges. Eighteen parents from evacuated families (children in Grades 1‐9) participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews conducted between January and April 2025. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings indicate that parent‐school communication functioned primarily as an emotional anchor: warm, available, and acknowledging communication reduced anxiety and fostered trust, whereas delayed or problem-focused contact intensified distress and invisibility. Parents also evaluated schools through relational positioning and responsibility: proactive outreach, flexibility, and trauma awareness signaled shared care, while reactive management and performance-only framing were experienced as misrecognition. Discussion highlights support as defined less by outcomes than by orientation: dignity-preserving inclusion, partnership, and shared responsibility during prolonged uncertainty.